3 minute read

A natural on pacer from a stable that has won many a feature battle at Newcastle over the years is favoured to prove once again that she who dares wins.

Light Brigade from the Gai Waterhouse stable will tackle the feature event at Newcastle today, the G3 150K Patinack Farm Cameron Handicap (1500m), in a second up state having finished last at his resumption.

The blinkers importantly go back on the four-year-old by the currently booming early spring sire Redoute's Choice and Chris Munce will ride.

I have always rated Light Brigade highly, as on his peak days he is very hard to defeat and at the mile in particular with three placings from as many attempts, so the 1500m today will be ideal.

His master Timeform rating came third up at G1 in the Randwick Guineas (1600m) last autumn behind Ilovethiscity and Skilled and his other two attempts at the trip last spring came on good and wet ground.

The entire is best on decent footing and when in front or put on the pace, as he has a rather good kick and plenty of fight in him.

Today at 53kg from gate four it all adds up to another Waterhouse feature race success at Newcastle and Munce does ride her lightweight runners rather well at Group level.

Second up sees Light Brigade having won over 1300m and the other time it finished a luckless seventh in the G2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m), when the blinkers were applied for the first time.

The winner of the Hobartville was Ilovethiscity from Retrieve and Skilled, with Somepin Anypin finishing behind Light Brigade in ninth to show how strong the three-year-old field really was depth-wise.

Light Brigade had two trials before resuming this season and improved in his second one to finish runner up to his stablemate Descarado, the reigning G1 Caulfield Cup winner that has trialled up a storm this time in.

Both trials came on heavy ground, so Light Brigade has massive scope for improvement this preparation when he strikes a decent track.

He struck unhelpful wet ground fresh up too, with the tenth and last out of a field of ten in the Listed Show County (1200m) at Warwick Farm never a winnable war.

The entire lost a plate and after losing his position stopped as if bayoneted and the lack of confident support for him suggested he was not quite ready for a full-blooded charge.

However I can see a cavalry charge for the Cameron today of very serious intent and do not be surprised to see Waterhouse and Munce bring about the downfall of some big guns in the process.

The almost in between trip of 1500m does suit this entire that as a yearling cost A$1.4 million dollars, which showed he could run a middle distance too last season when a brave fourth over 2000m in the G1 Rosehill Guineas.

Neeson looks a likely favourite after three runs back from a spell and Hugh Bowman to ride the Mossman gelding from the Joseph Pride stable is a big tick.

He has tackled G3 twice and Listed level once since resuming and is yet to go a bad race, with fourths from bad barriers and a third on an unsuitable heavy track where the ace gate is no help.

His third in the Show County two starts back saw him carry 4kg more than Light Brigade and beat it home by seven lengths, so today with just 2.5kg one could be forgiven for thinking 'just lock it in Eddie'.

Better footing however and the 1500m will see Light Brigade improve substantially more for mine than Neeson, which still has to run the trip right out.

In a pure weights analysed only contest Neeson wins hands down and his two attempts at 1500m or further have been okay, so any strengthening since last spring could be a tipping point.

He finished sixth under 57kg over 1500m in the G2 Shannon Stakes at Rosehill and copped a rocky run in the home straight then fourth up finished tenth in the G1 Epsom (1600m) beaten four lengths under 52kg.

It is hard not to like his last start fourth behind the likely Cox Plate contenders Sincero and Secret Admirer, with the key Bowman to do the business first time aboard drawn gate nine.

Bowman is a master at cold-collecting the cash aboard a galloper for the first time at Group level, as he sums up a race quicker than most.

Christian Reith, the regular recent rider of Neeson, will partner the David Payne trained Madibagold from the outside gate bar one.

Madibagold has only won up to 1400m and last won a race in June of 2010, so an in form Reith will have to produce a special ride.

I prefer the chances of the other Payne runner Sea Lord as being capable of causing a minor upset here, as he is suited second up at the 1500m and Corey Brown riding should give bettors confidence too.

He drops 4.5kg and the last time he carried 53kg he won.

The proven Group warriors All Silent and Ginga Dude warrant respect here, as they are under WFA and at G3 meeting nothing that would scare the pair.

All Silent goes super second up and not many finish as fast as he can when in the mood and all reports have him working the tracks down.

Ginga Dude has a tricky draw but is forward enough to resume and does have an excellent fresh up record plus Glen Boss atop does catch the eye.

The recent trial win by Ginga Dude saw it beat nothing of major note, so be slightly wary today.

Raspberries has the soft draw and as a proven miler the mare is sure to represent the Snowden stable well here though the off pacer may give a few of her tough male rivals a start.

I see her as being best served sitting not too far away then pouncing to cream the opposition halfway up the Newcastle home straight and see if they can pull her back.

She is weighted alongside some decent male gallopers and is close to other proven blokes and the Cameron is not sprinkled with too many female winners in recent times.

Only two mares have won the Cameron this century, with Absolutelyfabulous two years ago for the local stable of Kris Lees and Mulan Princess in 2000 for Gai Waterhouse.

Lees has Kaunda entered this year and he is not the worst for your multiples at juicy odds third up at 53kg, as his two runs back from a long injury break have been meritorious.

He may find the 1500m the biggest obstacle and I would suggest the normal recent Cameron Handicap trip of 1300m would have been perfect for this lesser light local.

Enjoy a very intriguing race.